{"id":119215,"date":"2025-11-05T15:29:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T20:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=119215"},"modified":"2025-11-06T07:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:00:02","slug":"interview-conductor-martin-macdonald-composer-cris-derksen-talk-controlled-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/11\/05\/interview-conductor-martin-macdonald-composer-cris-derksen-talk-controlled-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Conductor Martin MacDonald &amp; Composer Cris Derksen Talk About Controlled Burn"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_119217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-119217\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34.jpg\" alt=\"L: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra Music Director Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of CSBO); R: Composer &amp; cellist Cris Derksen (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra Music Director Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of CSBO); R: Composer &amp; cellist Cris Derksen (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra continues their 40th season with a concert titled Controlled Burn on November 15. The title comes from a work by two-spirit JUNO nominated Cree cellist Cris Derksen, in a program that incorporates music spanning two centuries.<\/p>\n<p>The full program includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Franz Schubert: Symphony in B minor, D.759\u00a0Unfinished<\/li>\n<li>Cris Derksen:\u00a0Controlled Burn\u00a0(2023)<\/li>\n<li>Germaine Tailleferre:\u00a0Ouverture (1931)<\/li>\n<li>Stravinsky\u00a0The Firebird: Suite (1919)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We spoke to CSBO Music Director Martin MacDonald and composer Cris Derksen about the upcoming concert.<\/p>\n<h2>Martin MacDonald: Repertoire<\/h2>\n<p>The program kicks off with Schubert\u2019s so-called Unfinished Symphony, which doesn\u2019t appear on many concert bills these days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t had that score in front of me for quite some time,\u201d notes MacDonald. \u201cIt\u2019s tricky to program because it\u2019s not a complete work,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s not in the sweet zone as far as length. A 25-minutes symphony is too long to be an overture, but too short to be a symphony.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer to the challenge is to incorporate other pieces that fit around it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirebird is the anchor piece,\u201d he says. \u201cYears and years ago, my teacher had programmed Schubert unfinished with Firebird. There\u2019s something about the sound worlds that really clicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Firebird Suite, as he notes, is at a similar length at about 23 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one of those great programs where you get to perform more than overture \u2014 symphony,\u201d Martin notes.<\/p>\n<p>Schubert\u2019s Symphony in B minor, the Unfinished, was begun in 1822, but the composer left it at only two movements. He completed several works after it during the six years before his death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a haunting piece in many ways,\u201d MacDonald says. \u201cIt\u2019s so lyrical and it\u2019s so beautiful. Every phrase is so note perfect. There really is no explanation for why he left it,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>There are many theories among scholars and historians as to why Schubert abandoned the symphony, but no definitive answers. \u201cHe just dropped it abruptly.\u201d Those theories range from ill health to the fact that Schubert was unnerved by the idea of composing in the shadow of Beethoven. Both composers lived in Vienna at the time. History has been kinder to the music than the composer himself.<\/p>\n<p>MacDonald likes the challenge it offers the orchestra.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt gives us the opportunity to work on some really long lines, and build suspense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin notes the work\u2019s almost cinematic quality. \u201cThere are some really powerful and really dramatic passages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Tailleferre\u00a0Ouverture is another work that doesn\u2019t often see live performance.<\/p>\n<p>Germaine Tailleferre composed her Overture in 1931, and it premiered in December of the following year. It was originally intended to be the first piece of a comic opera, but that project folded. She would later use it when she was commissioned by conductor Pierre Monteux to write a piece for the Christmas concert of the Paris Symphony in 1932. It&#8217;s a lively, rhythmic work that appealed to audiences from its debut.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know about this overture until several seasons ago,\u201d MacDonald notes. He was guest conducting in Western Canada, and a programmer had combined with the Firebird Suite in one of the concerts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s this really sparkling gem of French repertoire,\u201d he says. \u201cShe was the only female member of Les Six.\u201d Les Six were a group of composers who lived and worked in Montparnasse, including Georges Auric (1899\u20131983), Louis Durey (1888\u20131979), Arthur Honegger (1892\u20131955), Darius Milhaud (1892\u20131974), and Francis Poulenc (1899\u20131963), along with Germaine Tailleferre.<\/p>\n<p>Martin notes that Tailleferre was about a decade younger than Stravinsky, and looked up to the more famous composer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really neat to tie these two together,\u201d he says. \u201cShe has her own distinctive voice. It\u2019s explosive, kind of like a Candide overture vibe \u2014 fast, cheerful exuberant,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe contrast that with the very dark opening of the Firebird Suite,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a delight for us [&#8230;] to introduce these works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Firebird is a ballet and orchestra work that Stravinsky wrote for the 1910 season of the Ballets Russes. The composer would later create orchestral suites based on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one of the greatest finales in symphonic music,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s darkness, anger, [from] simplicity to life affirming \u2014 life changing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-119219\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23.jpg\" alt=\"Composer &amp; cellist Cris Derksen (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composer &amp; cellist Cris Derksen (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Cris Derksen &amp; Controlled Burn<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIn the classical music circles, I\u2019ve been hearing so much about Cris Derksen and her music,\u201d Martin says. \u201cAs soon as I heard this piece, I thought, wow, we have to find a way to do this. It\u2019s just so innovative and different,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Cris Derksen, originally from Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, has carved out a unique musical career as both performer and composer. She is known for music that blends traditional classical as well as Indigenous elements, often using guitar effect pedals in her cello performance. She has performed with indie rock bands as well as orchestras, and artists like Tanya Tagaq.<\/p>\n<p>Cris&#8217; music has been commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony, and Orchestre M\u00e9tropolitain under Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin, and in 2022, she composed for the Canadian Pavilion at the World Expo in Dubai. Her recorded music, including from her debut album The Cusp, is often licensed for film and TV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Controlled Burn, I had heard so much about it,\u201d MacDonald says. He calls it something that\u2019s a concerto&#8230; but not a concerto, featuring a cellist who performs with looping pedals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe piece itself, it\u2019s really well written, and it really effectively uses the orchestra.\u201d He notes the use of a technique called col legno, where string players use the wood of the bow to create sound. In Controlled Burn, the cellos and basses use it alongside Derksen in performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt creates this image of a roaring fire,\u201d he says. \u201cIt creates a really thunderous effect,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a cellist by training, and I love having a cello soloist in every season. It\u2019s very accessible too. I think we\u2019re very lucky as a community orchestra to collaborate with an artist like Cris.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Cris Derksen: On Controlled Burn<\/h3>\n<p>Cris Derksen studied music at the University of British Columbia, earning a Bachelor\u2019s in Cello Performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was going to university, I knew that I had to be a good cellist to play my own music,\u201d Derksen says. \u201cI didn\u2019t take composition at all. I didn\u2019t want to get overly influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began using loops and other electronic elements to make the music more accessible to people like her own family members.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was about making the cello relatable, and taking it out of the classical, high class [sphere],\u201d she says. \u201cThat was the beginning of it. Now I\u2019m back in the classical sphere daily,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n<p>For Controlled Burn, Derksen uses multiple effect pedals in performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s pretty exciting and nerve wracking all at once,\u201d Cris says. \u201cThe piece is still very classical.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Controlled Burn<\/h3>\n<p>The title comes from a historical practice among Indigenous people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cControlled burns were things that happened pre-contact all over North America,\u201d she explains. Indigenous people would hold a controlled burn over specific areas in the spring when the ground was wet. Excess debris would be cleared out of the area, leaving organic ashes that helped fertilize the land. It helped to prevent the kind of wildfires that have now tragically become common across Western and Central Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe used fire in so any ways,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Derksen did some research on the subject with the help of Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson, formerly a Research Scientist with the Canada Forest Srvice, and an Indigenous Fire Specialist in the National Fire Management Division of Parks Canada. Christianson is M\u00e9tis, and like Derksen, grew up in Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta.<\/p>\n<p>From her, Derksen learned about other ways that First Nations people used fire, including using the smoke to cool down bodies of water in the summer to help flora and fauna flourish.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was always about sustainability,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>When the European settlers arrived, they did not understand the renewing power of fire, and feared it. As Canada was created as a new nation, various pieces of legislation were installed to prevent controlled burns, such as the Bush Fire Act of 1874.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were afraid of fire,\u201d Derksen says. \u201cThey thought it was about burning trees, and trees are money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her piece Controlled Burn examines that issue from various angles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe piece is about that \u2014 who controls the burns? It\u2019s also about loss \u2014 loss of our good relationship to fire,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<p>Other parts of the piece portray the traditional event as it was. \u201cThe other thing that really comes out in the piece \u2014 sonically \u2014 it was safe, a community event, kids there playing,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was a safe and beautiful event. Now, when there\u2019s fires, it\u2019s a military event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cris Derksen \u2014 Awasowin \u140a\u140a\u1427\u14f1\u1403\u1427\u1423 \u2014 performs a different piece about fire, Warming by the Fire (2021) &#8211; Blueridge Chamber Music Festival:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-WphAomIpDo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Music<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cThe piece has so many different moments. The piece starts with a spark,\u201d Cris says.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where the col legno technique comes into play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI start the piece with the spark of this fire, and have the low strings tapping on the strings,\u201d she describes. From there, the snare drums take over in a kind of militaresque heroic mode. Along with the pedal effects used in the cello performance, it replicates the effects of the fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can feel the land in that moment,\u201d she says. \u201cI also added some water bombs in the piece.\u201d That represents the notion of taming the fire.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019d like audiences to think about the implications, given our current reality of summer wildfire season, particularly in Western Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI get a little flashlight on something that we should be looking at,\u201d she says. Can we take measures that would minimize the fires that rage every year? \u201cTo be concerned about the fact that we have a fire season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The work was commissioned by Yannick Nezet-Sequin as music director of Montr\u00e9al&#8217;s Orchestre Metropolitain, and is currently on a tour. She\u2019s performed it with four different orchestras so far.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve performed it in the states in Philadelphia and also in Carnegie Hall,\u201d she says. That happened in 2024, and there are more performances planned for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>She acknowledges how lucky she is as a contemporary composer in this case. \u201cA lot of new orchestral works don\u2019t necessarily get [more than one performance],\u201d she notes. Derksen also recently recorded the work in Montr\u00e9al, a release that should be available within the next couple of months.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s quite a journey for an artist whose first idea was to take the music out of the hallowed concert hall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never really thought that I would have a full symphonic recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Concert<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIn this program we got four very different musical worlds,\u201d MacDonald says. \u201cThis is probably the most ambitious program that we\u2019ve done to date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can take in Controlled Burn on Saturday, November 15 at 8 p.m. at the P.C. Ho Theatre, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find other details and tickets [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cathedralbluffs.com\/tickets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra continues their 40th season with a concert titled Controlled Burn on November 15, the title taken from a work by composer Cris Derksen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":119217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,76,18,19,875,29,38,4557,63],"tags":[673,27604,4267],"yst_prominent_words":[6616,14728],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-34.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-v0P","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119215"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119237,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119215\/revisions\/119237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119215"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=119215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}